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Rio Olympics: Khushbir Kaur to compete in the 20km walk

Khushbir Kaur came into the limelight when she grabbed the silver medal in racewalking at the Incheon Asian Games, two years ago, with a timing of 1:33:07. It was no mean feat for the small-town girl from Rasulpur Kalan in Punjab who used to run barefoot because she could not afford shoes. Kaur is the current national record holder in the 20 km walk, a record she created at Incheon. Racewalking is an Olympic discipline where one foot has to be in contact with the ground at all times. This event is usually held on roads or running tracks. In the Rio Olympics, Kaur will be competing in the 20 km walk for women on the 19th.

Supported by the Anglian Medal-Hunt Company, Kaur won a number of laurels in the junior race walking championships before her Incheon glory. She trained under Baldev Singh, a former Asian Championship medallist. She won a bronze in the 10,000 metre walk at the 2012 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and participated in the World Championships in 2013 in the 20 km walk category. In 2013 she bettered her personal best in the women’s 20 km walk in the Moscow World Championship with a time of 1:34:28.